The Silent Chloey and the White Wolf
by TheSilentChloey
Summary: Monsters called yoma, who live to eat humans and are disguised, inhabit my world. Only a warrior like me can stop the creatures and save humanity. However, I am condemned to fight the monster within me, or to lose myself completely. This is the Re-titled and re-worked Book I of the TSC Series, please enjoy and Read Review Rated M for Safety
1. Chapter I: The Strange Black Card

Fog covered the mountain pass as two figures walked slowly along it. One was a tall young woman, with long blond hair that was pulled back to a high thick ponytail that rested in front of her shoulders and was down to her waist. Her green eyes had two short bangs resting on either side of them, making her ears visible. Her body was a well-developed hourglass shape, with her hips and breasts being rather large for a young woman of her age. Her companion was small, barely making it up to her elbows and was like a little twig, if it were not for her broad well-developed and powerful shoulders. The small girl's dark blond hair was only just long enough to touch her shoulders and her fringe was just above her eyebrows. Her light blue eyes was rimed with thick eyelashes that gave her a very pretty face, but she was very shy, clinging to the older girl as much as she could whenever there were people around. Now though the small girl was tired with many scratches and grazes from their journey and the older girl was worried about her, but there was nothing. They had to keep on travelling in the hopes that they would reach a safe place or become so called 'Claymores'. It was the only choice.

It was about mid-morning when the two finally came to stop by a fresh water spring. Kate wisely waited until Chloey had something to drink before getting some water herself. As she went to sit down, she watched as Chloey lay sleepily in the grass and thought about how drastically her life had changed since two days ago.

Two days ago, she was living peacefully in Lido with her husband, her daughter Chloey, her two-step daughters, and their mother. Her husband had been an influential man in the village for some time and was preparing for the eldest daughter, Teresa to get married. Chloey had a fight with Teresa because the older girl was headstrong and cruel, and ran away before Catherine could discipline the small girl. Kate had seen the whole thing of course, so she was more than ready to stand up for her little girl this time, but Catherine only saw the good in Teresa and the girl's body, and the price that she would fetch as a bride. Teresa fuelled by her mother was just as cocky, Teresa had judged Chloey before she had even had the chance to grow into being a woman herself and Kate was sure that even if Chloey did not look like much of a bride now, one day she would be. On that day Kate hoped that she would live to see it happen. It was as is the God of Rabona had intervened to save Kate's precious baby from the bloodshed that was to happen next. No sooner had Kate gone after her daughter then did a monster called yoma attack the family.

When Kate had gone back to confront Catherine with the truth, she came to see that her husband was laying on the ground, blood everywhere and the bodies of the rest of the family. Kate hadn't counted on Chloey seeing it…she hadn't wanted Chloey to see it as the small child didn't even know Kate as her mother, she just thought that Kate was her older sister and didn't realise that Kate was Thomas' favourite wife and her mother. Kate had planned to tell Chloey when she was older and her sister Claire was without Teresa for a while. Kate was too horrified to move and Chloey saw it all. Kate felt Chloey's small body slam in to her, shivering and shaking and Kate could not do a thing. The yoma upon hearing them no doubt came to fill its belly and be done with them. This was not the first attack of the yoma in the village, it was the fourth time that the yoma had attacked them and they already had called a Silver Eyed Witch to deal with it.

As luck would have it the Silver Eyed Witch was on her way there and casually strolled through the doorway. Chloey had seen her, heard her clanking forward as Kate rushed to move. The gold that the witch's eyes glowed was the same gold as the cursed yoma; her face far from what Kate would call pretty was covered in veins that were popping out, contorted by that looked like pain and pleasure. As she stepped forward Kate saw that her whole body and not just her face seemed off, muscles expanding as she continued towards the now terrified yoma. It tried to beg for mercy, but the Silver Eyed Witch ended its cries with a single-handed swing of her blade, the yoma's voice drowning in a gurgle of blood.

Kate sat bolt upright and was shaking, she looked over at Chloey and sure enough, the small girl was having nightmares. Her soft voice did little to break the silence of the still air and Kate carefully lifted up the small child hoping to keep moving and find what would be a safe place to camp for the night so that the wild beasts that were out in the mountain ranges wouldn't come near them. The worst part was the expectation that yoma were going to come after them, and Kate had such little sleep of late that she was solely focused on getting Chloey somewhere safe, potentially seeking out the men in black that had taken the money for the dead yoma. It was their only hope now and Kate knew that it was for the best that they do what they could to find them.

Once a suitable site was found, Kate cleaned up and made sure that Chloey bathed properly. She took out the last of the dried meat that they had and gave the larger portion to Chloey. Chloey took it with a quiet 'thank you big sis,' and ate as little as she could so that there would be enough for Kate. Kate ate her portion and settled for starting a fire to help keep the beasts away. Chloey helped her and soon a warm fire was burning. Chloey fell asleep not long after the task was done and Kate curled up around her, keeping her as warm as she could. What was left of the clothing they had were now rags and Chloey's were just too big for her, while Kate's weren't big enough, even if they swapped they would still have the same problem, so Kate just let it go for now. She was no seamstress and this wasn't the time to get picky about things. Their only hope would lie in the men that made the Silver Eyed Witches or Claymores as they were also called. Kate knew that the Claymores were half human and half yoma, half human and half monster. She also knew that by going to them, they would use her and Chloey, but there was no choice, it was the only way that they would have a bit more time. As Kate looked at the sleeping figure that was her daughter, Kate prayed that the God of Rabona would not forsake them because she was making this sort of choice; she prayed that his wisdom would protect Chloey and give her a way to be there when Chloey needed her.

The sun rose over the pass and again, there were two figures moving steadily over the rough terrain, and both of them were in no hurry, in fact they were looking for something. The one with the hooded black cloak was about to give up when his companion drawled, "Let's face it Orsay, they've moved again, we should go back to Sutafu now while there is still time,"

"And face Rimuto without the girl that he wanted, I doubt it you will want to receive his wrath, Dae," the man called Orsay snorted,

"Well then, we shall keep looking, but it really must be a waste of time now…"

The sun was high in the sky as Kate and Chloey continued their long journey from Lido, Chloey was trembling with grief and Kate was not surprised. She was focused on finding the men in black clothing, looking for any sign that they were out there all while heading towards the east and keeping the sun behind her, now that it was mid-day. Kate looked all around her and soon she saw them standing out like a sore thumb amongst some white coloured marble. Rocks crumbled underfoot as Kate picked up the pace, Chloey stumbling to keep up, the noise attracting attention from the two figures and making them look towards them Kate was about half way towards them when she got a good look at the one on the left and pushed Chloey protectively behind her. The man levelled his gaze at her and Kate felt sick just looking at him. He wore black, but he had no shame in showing his half-demolished face to the entire world. His eyes were the most telling part, one being fully visible to her and the other hidden behind a half closed eyelid. The worst part was that there was at least half his face as good as gone, muscles clearly visible and though Kate had always thought it rude to stare, this man took the cake and it was hard not to stare at him. She barely managed and her efforts weren't in vain. Chloey just kept clinging to her leg and Kate waited.

"Well, well, well, look here Orsay, there are two girls right here," the man with half a demolished face said, as if suggesting that he was right all along about finding the two girls that had appeared behind them. Orsay turned and looked at the two of them. As far as Kate could tell his face seemed normal enough, but she couldn't be too sure. Orsay seemed to be more focused on Chloey than on Kate and it was because he knew what the orders were, to bring the small girl that he'd told Rimuto about to headquarters. Rimuto had heard of the child's potential and had said that she might make a specimen, if what Orsay had seen of her untrained abilities when he was passing through Lido on the lookout for such a child. Nearly a whole week had passed since he had seen her take on a boy that was bigger than she was, and told Rimuto about it. Getting the yoma in Lido had been easily done, the creature wreaking havoc until the villages had begged to have a half-yoma warrior come and take care of it. The naïve fools had believed that the yoma was just a part of life, and that they had to deal with it all the time. They had no idea that the nameless Organization was responsible for the creatures that caused deaths and the Organization did not care, as long as they were able to make a way to stop the war over on the mainland where they were from. All of this ran through Orsay's head as he came to a dutiful conclusion. He would have to find out who these two were, it wouldn't matter anyway as they would soon lose all humanity and sense of self.

"What are your names?" Orsay didn't care, but he acted like he did. The taller of the two girls with the blond hair walked forward and the little one clung to her following the older one further down the path towards them, so that she didn't have to yell no doubt,

"I'm Kate," she said calmly and she indicated to the little girl, "She is Chloey,"

"Does Chloey talk?" Orsay asked,

"Yes I can talk," Chloey replied softly, her voice was so quiet that it was hard for the men to hear her, and it was odd for Kate to hear it after nearly three whole days of silence. The men made the choice to take both Chloey and Kate with them to a town called Sutafu, or rather the lands of the east where their headquarters were located and that area was called Sutafu. It was in Sutafu that the place that people went to become 'Claymores'. As Kate followed the men, she made a fervent prayer that Chloey would be protected from whatever harm the men had in store for her and that nothing bad would happen to them since it was Kate that had lead Chloey on this seemingly dangerous path.

The sun rose up in the sky waking all of the sleeping creatures of the forest. Birds called and chatted to one another as the last of the night gave way to the morning. One such clearing filled with dead leaves branches and dirt from the trees above it had a small blond haired figure sleeping in it. The blond was wearing white so she stood out from the dirt and dead leaves and sticks. The birds observed this figure with some caution; they knew as if by pure instinct that she was far more of a monster than the usual creatures that they saw in the woods so the chirped and kept their distance, not wanting to die by the hands of this creature. The sun rose higher as the day progressed, by the time it was about half way through the morning, the small figure jumped up furiously and began pulling on the amour that was flung all over the ground, angry that she had slept longer than what she needed to. Her handler would arrive shortly and she would need to be ready for the task that he was assigning to her. It would be one of the many tasks that she had been given since becoming a fully certified warrior barely six months before, and what a long six months they were. She sheathed the oversized claymore broadsword on to her back and used her ears and her eyes to pinpoint her handler. So much for peace and quiet, she would never get that as long as she knew that he was around in the shadows.

It was this small half yoma warrior that was one of the most powerful of the warriors in the ranks. She was given Number 7 right out of training with little or no competition from her comrades. Chloey had excelled at sensing what warriors called 'yoki' that is the flow of energy from either a half yoma warrior or yoma themselves. There were a special class of yoma called veracious eaters, but Chloey knew what they really were. They were awakened beings and they were dangerous, and it took a group of experienced half yoma warriors to take out one awakened being. Not much had changed for Chloey since she became a half yoma warrior for the nameless Organization, except that her hair was now blond instead of the dark blond that it had once been and her blue eyes were now cold silver ones instead. Her hair had grown a bit, falling to just below the start of her shoulders and her fringe now reaching her eyes. Chloey didn't care about it, she was more concerned with the fact that in time the fringe will grow out over her eyes and make it hard for her to see.

Meanwhile in the village of Strath several people were going about their business totally unaware of the creature that was in their midst, they were hard people who spent most of their lives working to the rhythm of the land and so far, they were lost in the harvests. It was easy for the creature to feed because there were so many people in that city…or so it thought. What was a regular day of hiding until it was time to feed was about to end, and swiftly.

Chloey was about half way through scanning the clearing when she heard the faint rustle of leaves that announced that her handler had or was going to arrive shortly. Chloey turned towards the sound as Orsay stepped out from the shadows of the large oaks and came near enough to Chloey that she had to lift her head up if she wanted to look him in the eye. As it was she didn't bother, too absorbed in what she was waiting for to notice that he might want to look into those silver eyes of hers. She knew what was going to happen soon enough and let it go. Orsay would say what he wanted when he was ready and not before. She could always outwait him no matter what the situation required and he knew it. She wasn't called 'The Silent' Chloey for nothing. All of her comrades knew that she was the quietest of them all and they knew that they would never sense her as her yoki was suppressed most of the time. In fact no one except Orsay and the people that Chloey worked for had ever heard the small warrior's voice, those that had heard it had passed away on an awakened being hunt and no one else knew what happened because Chloey didn't want to talk about it and Orsay couldn't push her to either. It was as good as a standoff between handler and warrior and eventually Orsay just dropped it. Today Orsay had a new task for Chloey, and Rimuto was more than sure that she could handle it based on her abilities. Too bad for him that Chloey was just too easy to handle, and Orsay's only real complaint was that she was just too quiet, but a quiet warrior was better than one who couldn't shut up. He cleared his throat and Chloey's head jerked towards him, it was about as good as he was going to get that she was listening to him. He spoke slowly and clearly, the damned girl was just too loud and Orsay found it hard to say words in the right volume, mostly it sounded like he was yelling when in reality he was talking just normal volume. Chloey's quietness had that effect on him it seemed,

"Your next job is in Strath, two days north of here if you travel slowly for once," he came off sounding like he was growling and in truth he was, Chloey got her jobs done so quickly that it was hard enough to get her enough work to keep her busy. Rimuto was astounded that the small girl travelled so swiftly the moment she got orders to take out the yoma. Orsay was constantly travelling between Chloey's region and his other warriors just didn't match the speed at which Chloey worked. He would be glad when the time came to replace the little warrior, but she was still so young, so useful. Orsay had been raking in far much more money than what he did with the other warriors, Chloey moved so swiftly between towns and any time she was on a job it was done, normally in half the time of the average warrior, indeed Orsay was willing to bet all of the warriors combined, but then again… "all information indicates that it is a 'normal' yoma; see to it that it is destroyed."

Chloey didn't even look up, she just stood there and her head tilted, he knew that she was sensing the yoma out and she was…and she doubted that it was a normal yoma, her sensing ability told her otherwise. It was an awakened being, so she was going to have to wait for others, but then again it was a really weak one, so she decided that it didn't matter, she would just do as she was told and leave it at that. Her amour clanked as she moved out, her blond hair flapping in the wind as she walked forward leaving Orsay behind in the clearing to do whatever it was that he was doing this time. She had little doubt that soon enough she would receive new orders as was always the case. She didn't really care too much. It was almost time for her to begin thinking about how she was going to take down the beast that was waiting for her.

The humans of Strath were the first to see her. They moved like a parting sea, all huddled against one another, fearful of her. Whispers and soft words went unnoticed at first, most were incoherent at best, but when she got closer the words reached her ears,

"What is she?" some human asked,

"That's a Claymore? Gods just look at how tiny she is!" another gasped,

"She's a Silver Eyed Witch, gods she's so small!"

"Do you think she'll kill us," the speaker was a young man and it was clear to Chloey that he was talking about her,

"Who knows, she's half yoma, and all half yoma are monsters," a man with his brown hair half-balding said,

Chloey glared at the humans and they shrunk back as if she was brandishing a stick with fire on it at them,

"Watch your fucking mouths you fools, what if the yoma half got the best of her and she attacked us, she'd have us dead like we're nothing,"

Chloey walked on through the crowd of humans until at last, she came before her target. The being was a smart one, but it was also stupid. Chloey took off its arm before it could defend itself properly and its head came off soon after, the stupid thing not even bothering to raise its other arm as it was just far too slow and Chloey was too fast. Of course to the human eyes it looked as if Chloey wasn't moving so when its head and arm fell to the ground, the humans started screaming about her killing a human wasting an unnecessary amount of time over the fact that all that had happened was that Chloey had done her job and they had to pay for it. Even if the fee for the yoma was high, she considered making them pay the full price for the veracious eater, that would shut them up for a long time, but a quick look at them revealed that they were just a poor tight knit community and it wasn't worth charging them for it, even though that was what she was supposed to do. Then there were the implications of her actions and she didn't want to tell Orsay what she could do, if he found out that it was really a veracious eater she had just killed like it was nothing she would possibly get a promotion and that was the last thing that she wanted. Chloey waited for a couple of seconds before saying, "My work is done, a man in black will collect the fee, give it to him,"

At least the humans had calmed down enough to hear her. No sooner had the screaming stopped then did it start again, this time cries of, 'oh gods a yoma' as Chloey left the town thoroughly pissed off. She wished that for once in her life she didn't have to deal with humans that were so fucking useless. She knew that Orsay wouldn't be too far away. He never was. Sure enough as she clanked her way up the grassed hill, she caught sight of her handler. He was standing on a ridge, his cloak flapping in the wind. _Another job already?_ Chloey thought to herself, _oh well, it's not like I care anyway._ She continued towards Orsay, and as she climbed up she became aware that he was holding something. Chloey sighed, whatever it was she would find out. Her cape flapped as she at last reached the wind that was playing with Orsay's cloak,

"Finished already, 'The Silent' Chloey?" Orsay sighed as Chloey came to a stop just behind him. She never looked him in the eye anyway, so the gesture was lost anyway. He knew in his heart that the small warrior had once again proven that she was the fastest working warrior of the 47 active duty warriors. She knew it too he was sure of it. He turned to face Chloey, though her back was to him, he knew that what he had to say to her would get her attention and slowly spoke,

"Number 7, you need to go to Godar Hill, the Number 8 is waiting for you," he held out the black card and sure enough, Chloey whirled around so fast that he barely had time to breath, the card was out of his hand before he even realised that it was gone,

"Why?" Chloey demanded her voice as cold as ice, still soft, but cold all the same. Orsay felt his stomach freeze over and he could feel what was the 'yoma' side of the small warrior, even though her eyes hadn't even changed shape or colour.

"She…she asked for you, that is all," Orsay told her, struggling to find his breath, "you will need to act swiftly,"

Chloey turned to leave, her cape flapping in the wind as she made her way to Godar Hill. She knew the way and Orsay shivered as she left him. He was glad that Chloey was gone, he'd never seen such an ice cold reaction out of her before and it had shocked him more than what he'd expected. _That witch is a monster…a pure monster and she could have killed me and no one would have known about it_ Orsay thought and another unbidden shiver ran down his spine. It would kill them if she ever turned on them and he knew it. Chloey was nothing short of a monster.

Chloey waited until she was well away from her handler and she actually looked at the black card that had been given to her. It was Rosilinda, it couldn't be anyone else. It was her red emblem on the damned card and Chloey paused. To what purpose do the Number 8, Rosilinda want with her, the Number 7? True the two had been classmates, but of all the people that Rosilinda could have chosen, why Chloey?_ Was it because of six months ago?_ Chloey wondered to herself. If that was the case then Rosilinda was a fool. She had tried to show Chloey up, and Chloey being the truly stronger of the two had broken Rosilinda's right arm. Broken wasn't the right term, she'd absolutely shattered it to near pieces, luckily she didn't have a proper blade or else it would have been a lot worse. Rosilinda was damn lucky that they weren't given real blades yet. She had fallen over since the force of Chloey's blows were so great that she couldn't parry, she was just too slow and they were sparring, not trying to kill one another, but Chloey was sure that if she didn't put up such a powerful defence Rosilinda would have probably tried to kill her and Chloey didn't want the class bitch to get the upper hand with her ever even if it meant giving her an absolute beating. Orsay had seen this, he knew that Chloey had done it, but he dragged the small child straight to Rimuto, had told him that Chloey was far sharper at yoki reading than the others and Rimuto had demanded in his bored sounding voice, "Since when did you bring trainees before me Orsay? I told you to get that lot tested and put out as warriors, now see to it," Rimuto'd looked at her then, and Chloey had shrunk back, instinctively knowing that her life was going to change, "And this one, put her with the final testing group, now!"

Suffice to say that after all of that Chloey was made a warrior before the cocky bitch Rosilinda. Upon hearing that Chloey was a warrior first, Rosilinda did whatever it took to reach the position of Number 8, even to the point it seemed of reaching her yoki limit. Rosilinda had been one of the oldest girls made in to a half yoma, along with Chloey's best friends, Lisa Misty and Kate. Yet for some reason that Chloey couldn't explain even before she broke Rosilinda's arm, the girl had hated Chloey from the moment she'd lay eyes on her. Chloey could understand the loathing if they were from the same town and knew one another or different towns close to each other and had met before, but to have someone hate her the moment they met was just too much. It didn't make sense and Chloey was sure that there was a logical explanation for it…even if there wasn't one now. Not long after they'd let the cells that they were in while they were changing from human to half human, Rosilinda had come up to Chloey and said cruelly and arrogantly, "You stay out of my way you little bitch, the same goes for the three of you, I'll kill you all if you try and fuck with me," a girl came up behind her with curly pigtails a large forehead and an oversized nose and snorted, "Yeah, she'll fucking kill ya; ya stupid bitches,"

Kate had growled and said ice cold, "You two had better watch you mouths before I smack them right off for you, don't you dare talk to us like that DO YOU HEAR ME," the last part being said with Kate at full height was rather impressive as Kate was quite tall, taller in fact than anyone there. Their sword master was even intimidated by Kate when she did this, and he swore more than Rosilinda did. Chloey had looked Rosilinda in the eye then and from that first look it was clear that Rosilinda wasn't going to be nice. Chloey had let it go, and as their training progressed it was clear that Rosilinda was a terror to those who didn't do what she wanted when she wanted it.

A group of Chloey's class had gathered together and simply tried to avoid Rosilinda as she got progressively worse until one day, a brave girl with a crew cut hair style that was cut above her eyes smashed Rosilinda in the jaw with a king hit punch because she was getting sick and tired of Rosilinda's bullying antics and had wanted to teach her a lesson. Rosilinda's blond waist length curls had been stained with blood that day and those who hated her laughed unmercifully until a handler had arrived and said rather convincingly Rosilinda had been breaking the rules and was going to attack their handler when she got the chance. The look on her face was just priceless and Chloey would have enjoyed the moment for a long time, had she been there to see it. She was still stuck with the sword master and nearly beat him to a pulp before he said that her 'lesson' was over. She hadn't missed out on seeing the blood on Rosilinda's curls though. She had enjoyed seeing it and for a while it seemed that Rosilinda was settled and put in to her place. Of course that hadn't changed the fact that she didn't like Chloey, but it did stop the attacks that she was doing on to others. It was as if Rosilinda was just purely evil and Chloey had no idea as to what it was that made her that way.

All of the past was going through Chloey's mind as she walked onwards to Godar Hill and as she did so it was clear that Rosilinda was already an awakened being, Chloey picked up her pace, annoyed that she didn't make it in time and also annoyed that Rosilinda was to blame for all of the trouble that was happening now.

Rosilinda stood at the top of the hill, angry with herself, angry with the entire world because she wasn't powerful enough to kill that little brat Chloey. She had been reminded by the little bitch that was her sister; the idiot had allowed the yoma to rip her apart, all so that Rosilinda, the older of the two could escape from the yoma that was their mother. Rosilinda had been thrown out of town and called a yoma's spawn, never again would she know peace. Now she felt powerful, why was it necessary to even hold back the yoma side when she felt so powerful, so powerful in fact that she would be free the moment she took her revenge on the little bitch that broke her arm, powerful enough that she would win and win and win. She hungered for flesh and blood and yet she had to wait…that little bitch was slow and Rosilinda was waiting to kill her and at last end that memory of being totally helpless.

Chloey reached the hill as the sun was setting, the golden colours casting deep shadows and making the hill look as it if were on fire Chloey walked on, the uneven rocks about as good as annoying her to pieces as she tried to see over the top of them, but because she was so small she couldn't even see beyond them. She sighed and at last she arrived at what was the top of the hill. Rosilinda was standing with her back to Chloey, her amour on clean and normal; however, her yoki was far from normal, she was an awakened being now and it wasn't what Chloey had liked to see. Chloey decided to grab her attention now, because it was clear that she hadn't heard Chloey's arrival,

"What do you want with me?" Chloey asked, her usually soft voice hard and cold, "Tell me, why are you wasting _my_ time with your stupidity?"

Rosilinda turned, her face no different from when she wasn't awakened and it held the same fury of that time,

"You fucking bitch I told to stay out of my fucking way-"

"Shut up," Chloey hissed and for the first time in all the time that Chloey had known her the all cocky Rosilinda had shrunk back, and Chloey's yoki wasn't even at 10%, it was only up enough to be felt by anyone who happened to be nearby, "if you are going to continue with that crap, then I'll just kill you where you fucking stand, now answer my fucking question, what is the real reason that you are wasting my time? It's obvious that you are here to fight, if so then fucking get on with it,"

Rosilinda found her courage and attacked as fast as she could with her blade, the only thing that seemed to register as a weapon at the moment as she tried to break Chloey's ever up guard. It was as if the fighting had gone on or hours, but neither of the two were going to give up, the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky casting even longer shadows and Chloey knew it wasn't long until night arrived.

Rosilinda, who was all covered in deep bleeding cuts, let her yoki go to full throttle in order to defeat Chloey, and again she powerful and safe. Chloey however didn't even flinch she managed to cut off one of Rosilinda's arms and then as if that wasn't enough, Chloey looked up at Rosilinda and her eyes were still silver,

"Tell me something," Chloey spoke clearly, calmly, "When did you send the card?"

"Bitch," snorted the distorted Rosilinda, not far from her awakened form and regenerating her arm, "after I awakened of course, what use is it bowing down to a little bitch like you?"

"I could have saved you," said Chloey sadly, "I would have saved you enemy or not,"

Rosilinda could feel her body elongate and grow her amour now in pieces as she began to shape in to her awakened form. Her arms, (the one Chloey cut off had finally grown back) elongated and became lethal looking claws still retained a somewhat human like appearance her lower body changed to that of a cat's, she looked like half a cat and she wasn't even half way through the transformation. The rest of her sleek coat grew and her hair became a mass of tentacles as the rest of her upper body twisted and formed what was Rosilinda's main branch, there was a second branch, another head, but it was useless to her, it did have enough yoki in it though to fool a regular warrior, but Rosilinda knew that it wouldn't fool Chloey. Both heads had a deformed cat-like face with large gaping mouths and both were equally hungry for Chloey's death. Still the small warrior just stood there, as if uncaring of what was about to happen to her. As Rosilinda struck, she should have noticed that Chloey was already poised to win the battle and had been from the start.

Chloey was more than ready when Rosilinda made what was to be her final move, and as she planned the final blow, Chloey was sure to make sure that she was in the best position to land the first of many blows that Rosilinda wasn't going to see. As she tipped forwards, Chloey started cutting at the body below the two heads and as Rosilinda moved more of her body was destroyed, and Chloey wasn't trying too hard, blood and flesh spilled as Chloey hacked and slashed her way through her greatest enemy and she couldn't help but think back to the last time that she was even near Rosilinda, the look of pure hate on her face as she glared at Chloey, the way those dark blond curls bounced as she'd turned away from the newly appointed Number 7 and uttered curses as she'd walked off vowing to be stronger than Chloey under her breath and making sure to terrorise anyone that was in her way.

What confused Chloey the most was that why Rosilinda would just let herself go like that and as she sliced off both heads from what was left of Rosilinda, Chloey felt regret that a comrade like Rosilinda had to die the way she did, like a damned monster.

Chloey sighed as at last the moon rose and the last rays of the sun died away, giving the land a grey colour that was like the dawn. She buried Rosilinda with care, about halfway between the rugged landscape and the side of the hill. Chloey waited for several minutes before finally turning to leave the impaled sword in the grave where Rosilinda would lay. She turned away and made her way down the hill, amour clanking steadily as she worked out what it was that she was going to say to her handler, not that she could really say much other than the job was done and a new Number 8 was needed now that Rosilinda was gone. She would be forgotten by the men come the new Number 8, who would most likely be Dark Heart Bryce, the Number 9, who would was a very dark warrior indeed, somehow pushing her comrades away from her like there was no way that she would ever sink as low as asking them for help.

Chloey landed lightly on a flat surface at the bottom of the hill, it was dark and the air was frigid. She heard nothing more than the rustle of leaves and as she looked Orsay came out of the trees to her left, "Number 7, you are to head to Mucha immediately, you are required to sense for Ermita to make sure that the hunt progresses well, do you understand?"

Chloey looked in to Orsay's dead dark brown eyes with a bland expression in her sliver eyes. She wouldn't complain, not now that she had work to do. She turned and knew almost without a word that meant go south, and she sighed inwardly, she hoped that this 'Ermita' wasn't going to make her talk or expect her to have many words to say because she was a warrior of so few words and didn't like wasting energy when she didn't need to use it. She was not going to play to his tune and would keep to herself like always…only the main events of the hunt was even worth reporting anyway in her mind, so if she wasn't needed she would leave without a trace or thread of remorse.

As Chloey walked past Orsay a breeze picked up her cape and made it flap, she ignored it and continued forward to where she was supposed to go, the southern mountains of Mucha and beyond.


	2. Chapter II: The 'Eyes' Work

Deep within Sutafu a warrior was resting boredly waiting to see when she could leave the place that was hell to any warrior that existed and she shuffled uncomfortable since she'd been waiting for a while. She lifted her head and her silvery coloured hair was slightly jostled as she did so. She tugged on her long bangs so that the rested more over her scared eye, and waited. It was an injury that she'd gotten as a child and as a result it made her blind and it looked terrible. Her handler knew about it of course, but he said nothing about that to the others, if that was the case. Warriors had to be perfectly fit and they had to be strong. If there was the slightest problem physically then they were deemed unfit for service and euthanized. What she didn't know was that warriors were tested by the 'eyes' if that was the case and it was why she'd never had to meet the small warrior that was the Number 7 in all the time that she'd been a warrior. She sighed and stretched out again. It was clear that she was going to need to rest a while and she didn't want to waste her energy on thinking, she was going to have to make the most of what time she had.

It was about two days of boredom when her handler finally showed his face, she was about ready to hack off his head if it wasn't for the rules,

"Hello Orsay, what brings you here?" she asked, her remaining silver eye focusing on him intently, waiting to see what he'd say or if he'd explain why she'd spent two days waiting for orders. Her remaining eye narrowed as she regarded him and it wasn't because she had wanted to, it was because she was just waiting on him to give her what it was that she needed.

"I have a new assignment for you. You are to join a hunting party in the southern mountains near Mucha, you are to slay an awakened being. You will be working with three others,"

The warrior's eye narrowed further, and she decided to check that she'd heard him correctly, "An awakened being," she inquired with a stoic expression on her face, "that's new, so who is working with me?"

"Number 33 Harmony, Number 26 Willow and Number 13 Ashton," Orsay snapped, annoyed that she was acting like there were better things to do than the task ahead. If he wasn't so sure of her abilities, he'd have had Chloey take on the task herself. It was about time that they tested the Number 4 out to see what she could do.

"The being must be strong to have a single digit and a warrior in the teens am I correct?" the Number 4 replied, calm as ever, Orsay sighed, it just wasn't going to be his day it seemed. First Chloey absolutely hammered him with her suppressed yoki and now the Number 4 was having fun at his expense. He sighed and answered her question,

"Yes, we believe that the awakened being is male, most likely a former single digit, good luck," he turned his back on to her and dismissed her at the same time. She was the Number 4, she would be fine. Honestly Orsay had nothing to worry about now save how Skylar was going to react when she found out that the warriors were always being watched. He smirked and wondered what it would be like to have Skylar see the 'eyes' face to face. It would be a show and a half to say the least. He knew that she would have her work cut out for her and that Chloey wouldn't let the Number 4 best her, if the child was still as volatile as he remembered her to be around her other comrades. Orsay permitted himself a laugh that ended just as swiftly as it left his mouth. Yes Skylar had better hope that she was a good girl or else her fate was as good as sealed.

The tall warrior walked down the dark hallway thinking about the task that she had been given and what it was that she had to do when the hall opened up in to a large cave like room, complete with pillars and small windows. Trainees were in this room, each one with a practice sword to swing and work with. The clanking of her amour had grabbed their attention, so they all stopped to see who it was. One of the girls looked at her in the eye and returned to her training. She was strong and Skylar knew it. The child had her long hair pulled back in to a wavy ponytail with her wavy bangs ending at her shoulders, she was the first to return to her exercise and was the only one that had caught Skylar's interest, whatever the reason. As she walked forward towards the girl, she wasn't sure what drew her, but whatever it was it was soon forgotten by Skylar who then turned on her heal and marched out of the room into yet another corridor and eventually found herself to be heading away from Sutafu with purpose. Skylar didn't care for the barren landscape and once she was clear of it, rejoiced when she came to the forests that began to appear. She headed due south and if she had been a bit longer in leaving Sutafu, she would have met the small warrior that was already half way there, pushing and straining to get there as swiftly as she possibly could. However as it was Skylar was sure that she was alone, so she moved rapidly.

She found a place to camp and rested. She got all the sleep that she needed in a few hours and as she woke, three yoma were trying their hand at sneaking around her. She smirked at the futility of them. In her mind yoma were such foolish creatures and it was really a waste of time that she had to deal with the damned things. She leaped to counter the yoma and twisted in mid-air, slicing off the closest yoma's head. Two whole seconds passed and her feet hit the dirt, it was clear to her that the yoma were just too weak and it was going to be just boring to deal with the last two, but she sliced them apart, her sliver eyes the last thing that they saw.

She left the three corpses lying on the ground and ran towards her destination at what was for her a break-neck pace. She enjoyed the rush and the speed that she had and it wasn't long before the town came into view, she slowed her pace from a bolt to a pleasant jog, eventually slowing down to walking pace. The entire journey had taken her half an hour. As her amour clanked she looked around her and noticed that the humans weren't even bothering to move away, as if the town were used to seeing half yoma warriors. It was strange to Skylar, but she said nothing and didn't let it show on her face. Eventually she came to stand before a man in black that wasn't Orsay, he was shorter for a start and his yellow eyes regarded her. He wore a head covering that hid the bottom of his face and his legs had wraps on them below his knees Skylar couldn't see his hands and figured that they were hidden. She followed him down an alleyway and he said calmly, "This will be your room until the others arrive, Number 4,"

Skylar nodded and then entered the room slamming the door in the man's face as she entered it. The room had several chairs in it, enough for a small gathering of warriors to sit and wait in should they have the need to wait for anyone. The room was poorly lit and Skylar could just blend in with the shadows. There was a shelf along one wall and a quick inspection revealed that it had some money and a couple of small things that Skylar would find useless, but human things. Perhaps this was where the men stayed while they were waiting on the warriors. It certainly seemed so. Skylar could make out writing materials on the shelf and figured that amour requests could be made here. She sighed and took a seat. It was inevitable that the others were going to take a while, so she didn't worry about it. She was annoyed, but there was nothing she could do.

She had been sitting for half a day when finally three yoki arrived in the town, one on the east side and two coming from the northeast. The three warriors met up and as they arrived at the end of the alley, Skylar had felt them cower, most likely at the sheer size of her own yoki. She noticed that they seemed to recover and looked up to the door. It opened with a creak and three warriors peeked inside. The leading warrior had a reasonable amount of yoki, her hair to her chin with side bangs while the two behind her, one on the front warrior's left with her long hair pulled back in to a ponytail were both still wearing shocked faces. The warrior on the right had her hair long and it flowed free. She had short bangs down both sides of her face. As the four warriors looked at each other, it was Skylar that broke the silence between them, "Is there something wrong?"

"Umm, no Miss, I just didn't realise that our leader would be so…" the warrior with the ponytail replied, cutting off her sentence because she didn't want to even think too much about it. It was for her a thought that she didn't want to have and it was going to drive her to the brink of everything that she had done thus far. Skylar's eye narrowed at the warrior as she calculated what the warrior would do in a hunt. She needed more information, "Oh it doesn't matter," she snapped, "What are your names and Numbers and how many hunts have you been on?"

Surely the demand would get some form of an answer and Skylar was right about the thought that she'd had. The first warrior to answer was the one with short hair, "I'm Ashton, my Number is 13 and I have been on two awakened being hunts,"

The ponytail warrior shuffled the dirt, but then said, "I'm the Number 26, Willow I have no awakened being hunting experience and the warrior to my left is Harmony. She is the Number 33 and she…" Harmony said something softly and Willow said clearly, "She has been on four other hunts against an awakened being."

Skylar assessed the information carefully and decided that it wasn't a bad start, two of the warriors would know what to do, at least that counted for something. Skylar cleared her throat, "Good now that we know each other, we can be on our way." She didn't even realise that she had forgotten to mention that it was her first awakened being hunt. Also she hadn't even told them her own name. It was something that was bound to come back to her later, but right now, she didn't care. They had wasted enough time and as she walked past them, the other warriors tailed her. It was clear that they had a lot of catching up to do if they were going to get this awakened being killed. Skylar had picked that it was in the south. The mountains were a good place to start looking.

The small warrior walked towards her destination with an air of one that was resigned to her fate. Chloey had travelled from her region and was three days ahead of her scheduled arrival. It wasn't a bad start and it would give her the edge on her comrades one day. As Chloey walked she had felt many things. Her ability to detect yoki was an incredible one and it was one that was beginning to make her almost become special. She felt a group of yoki moving due south from her and she kept up her rapid pace. She felt it when they came to rest and she kept moving, rest for her wasn't an option and as she walked she knew that she passed them, owls hooted and the rustle of nocturnal creatures moving about in the night made Chloey aware of only one thing. That she as getting closer to the contact point with the man called Ermita, the man that she was ordered to sense for this time. Chloey's amour clanked and the stillness of the night air was enough that most warriors would be uneasy, but Chloey was used to it. Her journey had taken her though some of the most scenic routes that the south had to offer and she'd not wasted her time enjoying them. She just knew that it was the south, and even if it was by God's own hand she would move on, seeking what it was that made her fit in. She had long since decided that making friends with her comrades was pointless and was happy to be alone. Aloof on her own terms, but always with that sense of wanting to belong at least somewhere. The moon lit Chloey's way as she continued to walk, acutely aware that her sleeping comrades would be totally unaware that she had even passed them at all.

The sun was beginning to rise when Chloey felt the strongest of the group rise and begin to set off again. She kept walking, further ahead and well out of her comrade's yoki perception range now.

Skylar had woken from a nightmare and decided to begin the rest of the journey. She was aware that her comrades had finally risen and it was clear that she was going to have her patience tested well before they even reached the target. She was a little way from the group and said calmly, "I'm over here,"

The three swiftly moved towards her and one of them seemed to be stressing about the fact that she was almost left behind, "Did you plan on leaving us Captain…"

"What would I solve if I did that?" Skylar shot back, "where we are going will be hard on weaker warriors, if you can't take it then just leave,"

"Please don't assume that because we are weak by our ranks that we are of no use Captain," Ashton replied calmly, "one can never tell what a warrior is like under the rank…"

Skylar noticed that Ashton had been saying it with a significantly dark tone, as if there was a warrior out there that was someone who was weak in the rank, but clearly strong in other ways. Skylar didn't think much of it and lead the others towards the target. She didn't realise that Ashton was making a good jab at a certain warrior who was one of the most powerful that the Organization had. Ashton was talking about the Number 7, the other two knew this because barely a day ago, Ashton had been willing to bet that the Number 7 wouldn't be far away.

Ashton was soon walking alongside Skylar, Willow and Harmony both had to have a rest every few hours and despite the fact that they were slowing the group down; they didn't waste their time talking. It wasn't long before Skylar could smell the powerful being out and she laughed softly, it was barely audible, but it was enough to confuse Ashton.

Meanwhile Chloey had already arrived to the meeting point. Ermita was sitting down with the mountains in front of him and had nearly died when Chloey had walked up. He was sure that she was far ahead of time, but then again it was most likely a good thing.

"Ah, I see you made it, Chloey. Your trip wasn't too tiring?" Ermita asked sarcastically, when Chloey hadn't given him and answer he decided to try a different line, "Has the battle started yet?" He asked after a few minutes of silence,

"No, the warriors are still travelling."

"So we're far enough that you can sense them?" He asked again,

"The main problem would be the single digit's range, not mine." Chloey replied shortly, "However she seems unaware of my presence, so we are fine."

"Can you sense the being?" Ermita asked,

Chloey came to stand beside him and she looked out to the mountains with an almost bored expression on her face, "It's a single digit male, am I not correct?"

Ermita's eyes would have fallen out of their sockets if he'd opened them any further than what he had at the moment. Chloey was incredible, truly incredible. He was so amazed that he almost forgot to answer the child, "Indeed," he said, his voice near caught in his throat, "that child is truly something…Dae was right, this child is truly unique. How interesting that I should witness what happens when a warrior is made for the soul purpose of watching the others…she will be dangerous if she gets too old,"

Ermita had been muttering to himself and he was totally unaware that she could hear every word that he was saying. She was instinctively smarter than any other warrior was and said nothing. She focused on what she could sense, she knew what Ermita was saying and she would hide her knowledge. It wasn't like Chloey to reveal more than what was needed.

Skylar's chuckle hadn't gone unnoticed, Ashton decided to speak up, she turned to face Skylar and the puzzled look on her face was enough that Skylar asked, "What is it Number 13, you just gave me a puzzled look, is there something wrong?"

"Umm…now that you ask I need to ask a question," she replied boldly,

"And what would that be Ashton?" Skylar was laughing, but it wasn't really showing in her voice,

"Well you look quite young…from what I can see of you face that is…and well you might be the youngest single digit that there is…perhaps even the youngest warrior…I also heard a chuckle from you earlier,"

Skylar's eye narrowed at Ashton and then she said coolly, "What you heard was correct, I did indeed chuckle, but it was by mistake, I'm sorry if I made you feel uneasy. As for my age, you should never ask a lady how old she is, whatever the circumstances,"

Skylar pushed them forwards at a much harder pace, she liked Ashton's audacity, it was something that Skylar liked for reasons that she didn't know.

Meanwhile Chloey was standing by should the battle actually start. It was rare that she would see what happened before that, and she was beginning to lose some of her patience over the whole thing. Chloey sighed inwardly and waited, she had wanted to shift from foot to foot, but her training prevented her from doing so as she wasn't dismissed to stand at ease. Minutes ticked by and Chloey knew that at last the warriors had reached the target, she said softly, "They have found it, the battle will start soon,"

Skylar had waited a little for the others to catch up and get their breath before telling them what the plan was and what they had to do. She made it clear that both she and Ashton were going to take on the brunt of the being while Willow and Harmony were to wait until the right moment to actually strike and take off its head. It was clear that after such a time when she made sure that the others knew what they had to do. She also made sure to give them the information that Orsay had so kindly given her back at Sutafu, information that she was sure was going to save their lives if they paid attention to her properly. Skylar suddenly realised that the being had sensed them and looked at it just in the nick of time as its yoki surged and it got ready to face them head on.

Chloey suddenly felt a large fluctuation of yoki and knew that the awakened being had shown itself to the warriors. Her silver eyes narrowed and she focused on the battle, Skylar was focusing on the being's movements well enough that Chloey knew that she would be fine. The Number 4 shouldn't have too much difficulty in tracking its movements, nor would she have trouble counter attacking it. What did surprise her was that Ashton, a skilled hunter having been on hunts before had decided to stand there and do nothing. Chloey knew that she wasn't that blind that she couldn't sense the being's attack and had ample time to doge it. Yet she just stood there and Skylar had dived and gotten injured a little because of it. Chloey focused on the warriors' yoki and it was clear that they were talking, though what they were talking about was far beyond her abilities just yet. She would have to wait and see what it was that was going on to get a rough idea of what was happening. She simply watched and focused on what she could sense.

The warriors were fighting again after what was a brief break and as Chloey watched it was clear to her that the battle was going to be over soon. She still waited to see what would happen, and sure enough after a quick burst of action, the massive yoki disappeared and Chloey tilted her head, she had sensed the outcome. It was clear to her what had happened and that the warriors were finished, "It is finished," she said and began to turn on her heal, "I am no longer needed," before Ermita could come up with a response to stop her from leaving Chloey's amour clanked and the wind picked up her cape. There was that feeling in the back of Chloey's mind that what she'd witnessed was nothing short of regular hard working warriors and it was no mean feat to say the least. It affirmed though, that a warrior in the top five was a dangerous opponent and not one that she wanted to face if she had the choice. Her abilities weren't quite where they needed to be for Chloey to challenge them just yet.

Skylar hadn't noticed the tiny yoki spark and now that she was distracted by other things, such as cleaning up after the battle, she would have no hope in sensing it even if she was looking for it. She had no idea that she had been watched by the small warrior that she was going to meet face to face in what was going to be the strangest meeting of all time. The warrior was bound to make sure that she remained hidden, as cautious as the small one was, most of her comrades would have faced the Number 4 head on. As Skylar rested, the small warrior continued on the way to her next meeting point, nothing more meaningful to her than getting her next assignment and getting it over with so that she could return to her brooding.

Chloey walked along the worn path through the large ancient trees with a calm mind. It was a battle that she'd not wanted to focus on, yet she couldn't help but begin to wonder why she'd been needed to watch this hunt in the first place. The more she thought about it, the more it drove her to confusion. Skylar was fine, so why did they want her to be watched. Chloey had known that she was the Number 4, and that she had a really tough time keeping track of her comrades, and there were 47 of them to remember and Chloey was still a child. It didn't help that Chloey didn't have any comrades that were friends to her either. Chloey sighed and continued onwards. There was nothing that she could do about it and as far as she was concerned all that mattered at the moment was getting rid of the yoma and keeping the beasts as good as dead.

As Chloey continued deeper in to the forest, she felt the Number 4's yoki rise in anger and lower. She knew that the higher single digits were monsters, but as far as she knew they were really humans that had a lot of power. Chloey was the real monster and it was going to be noticed some time by those that were the top 5…the Number 1 was bound to lose her place and Chloey didn't want to be the warrior that took it. She knew the Number 1, Luciela on a personal level, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. Luciela had seen that Chloey was almost as small as a doll and referred to her as such. Oh it was all in good fun Chloey was sure, but the little warrior was starting to get sick of the game and was glad that the men ordered her around and she had ample excuse to leave Luciela back at Sutafu. Rafaela's expression when she left though told Chloey that she was the only thing that made the sisters' day bearable and like a guilty dog, Chloey kept going back so often. Just because she didn't want them to suffer. The fact that Chloey knew the Number 1 and Number 2 on such a personal basis was rare, a Number 7 wasn't a highly ranked single digit and usually was sent to Alphonse, but since Chloey was so unique they kept her close to Sutafu, much to the small warrior's annoyance. She had wanted to go north, but the Number 8 was meant to be there now, and since Rosilinda had died, Chloey didn't know who'd replaced that fowl mouthed bitch. Chloey kept walking, heading back towards her region.

The moon had risen long ago and Chloey kept walking, most of her comrades wouldn't be able to keep up with the small warrior when she was walking like this. As it was Chloey travelled fast so that she didn't have to deal with the others on any way. The clank of her own amour was enough. Any more than that and Chloey would become highly annoyed and exhibit what Orsay knew was the shortest temper of any half yoma warrior that existed. Chloey didn't tolerate much but it was the fact that she sometimes tolerated too much that she would explode for no apparent reason other than to let someone have it, usually though Chloey just stayed quiet, but there was something that was brewing under the quiet façade that not even Orsay would see coming. It wasn't soon, but it was a long standing pain that she'd had to deal with on her own. It was something that she'd known for a long time.

After a whole hour of walking Chloey was finally tired enough that it was time for her to sleep. The small warrior was able to go a full week without it, unlike any half yoma warrior before her and it was something that was unique to Chloey. No other comrade could walk as hard as Chloey and only sleep once a week. It was Chloey's signature ability as far as the small warrior was concerned. It was so that she could escape her nightmares at least for a little while longer.

_It was as if I was falling, my long hair billowing around me as the pain from my stigma whispered to the light. My sliver eyes looked about me and I knew that there was something or someone that was calling, "Chloey, Chloey, come to me, my dearest child, come to me," I turned away from the voice, it sounded dark and cruel, and I knew that it was my yoma half trying to get me to lose control over it. Another voice, softer, kinder said, "Good girl, don't listen to the yoma inside of thee, thee art still a child of the Lord, even if thee hast that demon in thee. Did not man sin against God? Did he not turn his back to the Holy One? Come child, stay strong and hold on to the gifts that God has bestowed upon thee, thee alone will be the one that saves the half yoma from a fate far worse than death, thee alone will show the gifts that were bestowed upon thee for thy father whom gave thee thy name. A name that I doth approve of, Little Chloey, Lady to those who need thee, shall there be another like thee; nay child for thy calling is near. Lift others up in the name of the Lord, comfort them when they have need. Listen child and heed my words for soon thee will need to hold them dear. Rest well young one, for thy prayer hath been answered, thy closest friend shall be bought back to thee."_

Chloey's eyes flicked open as the strangest dream that she'd ever had stirred her to wake. The words were ones that made some sense, but the others confused her. She was just a child and it was clear that even though she was young there was something that was holding her burdens. Chloey sighed and curled back on to her side. She was still tired and sleep lured the small girl to rest.

Orsay padded through the trees. Skylar had confirmed that the monster was indeed killed and was ready to be sent up to her next job. He was glad that he had the time to himself to just think, it was rare that there was nothing for Chloey to do, but he figured that she'd earned the right to at least a small break. However the way things were it was not to be. He'd been informed that there was a hunt over in Lautrec and Chloey was needed to watch it. It was for the warrior's own use to confirm that the monsters were actually killed.

Orsay took in the dead silent night as nothing short of creepy, usually there was some life about an area, but for now there wasn't. There was nothing not a single animal to show for the area and it was beginning to bother him. He set up a small camp for the night, he wasn't going to find Chloey in the darkness because the little witch never had a fire unless she was still awake and was waiting for him at the meeting point. There was no need for her to fear the bests of the night, she was one of the most powerful warriors after all and a little beast or two didn't worry her in the slightest. Even now as the wind picked up, Orsay was sure he would most likely find her in a sheltered clearing much like last time. For a child she was smart and switched on. He was going to have a very long night as far as the wind was concerned.

Warmth flickered in and out of the air as the small girl slept. Her long hair was being pulled by the wind and blowing all over her face. Still she slept on. Her breathing deep and even.

_Down the road I walked, my hair flowed through the wind and as I did so. The air was cold and my eyes were stinging as I walked forward. I didn't know where my family were though I could clearly hear them calling out to me. The yoma half of my mind kept taunting me, but I ignored it now. I didn't care what it said and it didn't matter. It was as if I was on my own, yet I somehow knew that I wasn't. It was a strange feeling to say the least and as I kept my eyes focused I could see what looked like a light. I walked towards it instinctively and as I walked forward, I felt safe…oddly safe. My bare feet pattered on the ground and the cold had crept up my small body. I looked sharply to my right and I swore that I saw someone looking at me, their silver eyes saddened with an air of understanding, but no sooner did I try to see who it was then did they fade away leaving me alone in the darkness_

The sun rose as yet another day began. The small warrior rose and calmly put her amour on. it was clear to Chloey that the time had come, Orsay was near and new orders would be delivered to her. She knew from the very beginning that it would come to this. She also knew that she was most likely going to once again be used to watch rather than actually do the hunt. Chloey lifted her head and watched as Orsay came in to the clearing. He was walking like he normally did, clearly he had orders for the small warrior.

"You're needed to watch a hunt in the land of Lautrec. I'll meet you there. That is all."

He drawled slowly. Chloey tilted her head and realised very quickly that she had to 'see' for Orsay this time and she turned due west, and took only a step forward. She had decided to wait and see what else Orsay had to say this time so she stopped,

"Why are you standing still Number 7, I will meet you on the border of Toulouse and Lautrec," Orsay sighed. Chloey gave a curt nod and left him at her usual pace. Her amour clanked as she left him behind with ease. She would beat him there, of that Chloey had no doubt. Even if Orsay could ride on a ship, Chloey would still beat him with ease. She felt oddly sure that she would beat him and as she passed the trees she could see what was a little patch of blue sky. It was that patch of blue sky that gave Chloey a boost to what little hope that she had left. A blue sky was a good sign and it meant that the day was going to be just fine.


	3. Chapter III: A Memory and New Friends

_Chloey walked along the path behind her best friend Kate, the Number 3 of the Organization. The sky was a perfect blue and they weren't the only ones present. Lisa and Misty were also with them, the four close friends having met up again after what was six months since they were tested to become warriors. Misty's blond ponytail bobbed as both she and Lisa were laughing happily about the fact that Chloey was really shy and liked to say very little about anything. It was however something that Chloey didn't like and she was starting to get embarrassed by the two just laughing at her. They did notice that she was uncomfortable because her face was bright red and Lisa said kindly, "Come on Chloey, we were just teasing. No one could be as awesome as you are…except Kate!"_

_Kate had turned her head back having heard everything and said calmly in a very matter of fact voice, "We all know that Chloey is the strongest of us, whatever happens I'm sure that she will do well," Kate smiled at her daughter having seen for herself that Chloey would live, even if she didn't think that she could._

_The three kept walking along the road, all focused on the task at hand and Kate's body started to shake, slowly at first, but more rapid as they got closer to the monstrous yoki that was the awakened being that would take three lives._

_The being revealed itself just as Lisa was starting to complain about waiting around for the fight. Both Lisa and Misty pulled their blades as well as Kate. Chloey simply dodged the rod-like appendages and ripped her blade out with the full force of a warrior at ten per cent yoki without any of her yoki being released. She joined their charge at the monster, Lisa jumping up and slamming down onto a limb, hacking it away, Misty dodging as she ran, Chloey was acting as if she were in another time and place inside her own head. Kate watched as her daughter came so close to killing the awakened one that she nearly missed the strike aimed at her. She easily dodged it and ran into what was going to be her last fight, not that she knew it._

_There was the steady beat of amour, blades and voices. It was a battle that had lasted for several hours and the being was cunning. It had killed Lisa with an under-handed blow to her chest, blasting Lisa's chest right open, clearly it knew where to aim on a warrior to kill her and poor Chloey had seen it as it happened, there was nothing she could have done to alter the outcome for Lisa, and as Lisa fell, Misty screamed in fury and pain, crying out for the close friend that she had ever since she was a trainee, Chloey's warning had come that moment too late and even as she and Misty screamed "Lisa!" the warrior's blood flew through the air, the expression on her face one of shock and as she landed with a dull thud, her eyes were wide open. Misty fell not long after Lisa, the being regenerating the limb that Misty had slashed off in fury and ripped open Misty's stomach. Blood flew through the air as Misty fell, Chloey's eyes widened in horror. Kate knew that they had to avenge Misty and Lisa, but the small warrior was frozen tears of shock and horror streaming down her face, those wide silver eyes quivering and her whole body shaking as she struggled to come to terms with what had just happened in front of her. Two of her friends had been killed by a monster no better than the yoma, "Come on Chloey! Don't give up; we have to kill that monster for Lisa and Misty! Come kill it, end its miserable existence!"_

_Chloey looked at Kate and in that moment, the two warriors moved forwards with the speed that Kate knew was of the top ranked warriors. Chloey jumped suddenly and at first Kate thought that was so that Chloey could strike it from above. She felt the blow to her stomach and cut the being, really though the wound was just too large and Kate could feel her body slipping in and out of consciousness, she fought hard to stay with the fight, as hard as she could, but in the end, Chloey would be alone. Kate hacked up blood as she struggled to get up to her feet, she just had to make to her daughter, she just had to. It was a mother's instinct that pushed Kate to Chloey as the small warrior finished the awakened being with the smoothest of blades, there was no fault in Chloey's technique and Kate was proud to have Chloey powerful enough that she would live, even if Kate herself was never going to make it. Kate struggled over towards Chloey wanting to tell her what she'd meant to say when Chloey was smaller, but even as Kate struggled forwards she knew that there was no way that she would ever be able to tell Chloey what was true, that Catherine wasn't Chloey's real mother, that Kate using her youthful appearance had managed to stay with Chloey far longer than if she hadn't. Everything rode on this one moment and as Kate forced her weakening body forward, she knew that she was going to die and that there were no two ways about it. Chloey had to know the truth but the more Kate struggled the more her life ebbed away._

_Chloey hadn't taken long to notice that Kate was in trouble, her small frame turning as she ran towards Kate, each second like an eternity to Kate, Chloey's blond hair flowing in the wind as Kate slowly fell, first to her knees and then with her arms weakly supporting her until Chloey struggled to help Kate up. Blood was caught in Kate's throat and she hacked it up, blood stained the ground, red blood, purple blood, blood and nothing but blood. Chloey's eyes were filled with tears and Kate's weak voice tried to tell her years of a secret that Chloey had never known, Chloey however, tried her very best to help Kate, harmonising her yoki with Kate's to try to help Kate heal, it was no use however as Kate was already too badly injured, to the point that an offensive type warrior like her would die and there was no way that Kate was going to live, she knew it and deep in Chloey's heart, she knew it too. And that the small warrior knew it, but choose to try anyway touched her mother in ways that she hadn't been touched in her heart for a very long time. Kate was right to name her daughter after the one woman in Lido's history that had a heart that was for helping others._

_"I know that my time has come Chloey," Kate said, blood poured out of her mouth as she struggled to breathe, "It's going to be tough…I know that you are strong, make sure that Dae doesn't find my body, please Chloey and…please…my…baby…keep…your…head…low…"_

_Kate slipped away from the world of the living, her eyes closed and she was at last reunited with her husband and saw her father with open arms as well as her own mother. As Kate looked back she could see Chloey's pain, how she longed to reach the small girl's heart and comfort her, and yet she knew that one day, they would see each other again. She knew it._

_Chloey screamed and screamed, agony filled every fibre of her being and ripped her apart in the deepest of ways. She was always the one that felt everything acutely, nothing more acutely than Kate's death and the deaths of Lisa and Misty. She cried as the last of her family faded away and left her to be truly alone in the cruel world that was a half-yoma warrior's reality. There was no other existence for Chloey except that. Now she was alone and for the first time in her life there was no one that could help her. All of the people that she knew were forever gone to her. Her tears soaked the earth with the blood and she knew no matter how hard she prayed there was no reason for her to be._

Chloey stood on the mountain summit in Lautrec, quietly watching as her comrades fought the awakened being and it was a losing battle, they didn't have enough ability to kill the monster and slowly but surely there was only two left. One of them was awakening, losing her soul to the inhuman half of her mind and Chloey was almost shocked. It was the first time that she'd seen anything like it, though she knew about the effects of awakening she hadn't witnessed that first time. The other two warriors were dying, and there was one that was already dead. The single digit leader of the hunt had finally finished awakening and Chloey winced. There was nothing that the small warrior could do about it. She knew that she could have taken that one on, but there was no point since Orsay was there and she knew better than to play her trump card right out. She said not a word until asked to do so.

Orsay met Chloey's statement with the same apathy that he always met when it came to a warrior losing control. He was annoyed that once again there was no warrior that could cope with the yoki above 80% and yet again there was the inability to return to humanity and reason. There was nothing to be gained from that warrior.

Chloey knew that Orsay didn't care about that girl, and she knew that there was little hope for that girl. She hid her tears and shivered inwardly, Orsay was a monster and what was worse he was allowed to live while the others were killed and Chloey knew that it wasn't right. She felt a deep form of remorse that no one had told her to have, yet she had it anyway, her own mind knowing that there was nothing worse than being a monster, and she knew without being told that Orsay would one day have no care for her, he would see her like he saw that awakened warrior and Chloey was terrified at the thought.

Amour clanked as the twin warriors continued ever westwards, both the tallest of the Organization, yet as different as they could be. The taller of the two, the older sister wore her ginger hair short, cut to her chin and it covered her eyes with were white orbs that could see nothing. The younger and smaller sister wore her long hair in pigtails, her silver eyes wide and innocent looking; Claire had a constant look of fear on her face as she walked. The sisters were closer than almost any warrior within the Organization and the men just didn't bother about them, they were 47 and 46 respectively. Blind Meg and Soft Heart Claire they were called, and the names stuck like glue in the last five years that they had been warriors.

Meg stretched and yawned loudly as the two were set to meet another warrior, this warrior was younger than they were but she was already stronger than what the twins were, not that Meg cared, Claire knew that Meg would take the warrior out, but she also knew that warrior was higher ranked and she had to spend the entire time holding her sister's arm to stop her from ripping the girl's head off. The odd group travelled to the west in a week. They came across a small warrior resting on her sword. Claire was amazed that there was no yoki being released by her. She was so small that at first Claire thought that she was a human girl, but then her head snapped up and silver eyes regarded them all. She wasn't in the mood for games that much was clear,

"Oh, look isn't it the Number 7." Mary sneered, she was so full of bitterness that all of the other warriors present were sure she just had to shove some of it onto everyone else to help her feel better. Meg spoke up sharply, "Shut up! That's not how you talk to your superiors! Hi, Number 7, my name is Meg, and I'm the Number 47."

_What a brave girl she is, at 47, a warrior was the lowest of the low, and yet she would take on the Number 17, that was quite impressive_. Chloey thought to herself, taking a liking to the strange warrior. Chloey turned her head to the other warrior and she looked her in the eyes, the warrior spoke with a gentle yet slightly nervous voice, "I'm Claire, the Number 46, Meg is my sister. I'm sorry if she comes across as rude-"

"Not at all." Chloey replied, she didn't need to hear Claire's apologies. She decided that she liked the two of them, Meg and Claire sure were nice to her and that was a rare thing for Chloey. _Claire might not be as brave as her sister Meg, if they were sisters of blood, but there is something about them that I like_. Mary didn't like being out of the limelight for very long,

"Don't even think about it, Mary. We don't need to hear your crap." She glared at Chloey's sharp snap, "Don't you think it's strange that Rosilinda didn't send you her black card?"

Mary went whiter than a sheet. She looked at the ground and was silent for the first time that Chloey had known her. She didn't look up and shoved dirt with her metal boots. Chloey stood up and then sheathed her claymore, "Let's go." She told them. They all set out towards Dokut. It didn't take them long as they were a day's walk from Chloey's "camp".

Their metal boots clanked on the stone paved road. They arrived just as the sun was rising in the sky. The humans all froze when they saw the half yoma warriors, their voices hushed whispers.

"Claymores!"

"I don't believe it Claymores here in Dokut! Who sent the request?"

"Shut up, of course you wouldn't know about it woman! The elder sent the request."

Chloey ignored the bickering humans and looked for the yoki. Ten yoki pulsed in the area, and the first one was standing next to the oblivious woman. Chloey split it in half, blood spraying everywhere as she lifted her blade again, looking for the next yoma that was hiding nearby. It didn't stand a chance against her. Chloey felt another yoma die at the hands of Meg and Claire. _It seems that Meg had pulled Claire's sword back, and Claire had split the yoma clean in half_. Chloey thought as she studied the yoki that was around her. She found the other four and killed them like nothing, blood splattering on the ground all while some of the humans were flinching back from the scene of destruction. Mary had taken care of the last four, so they were finished, it wasn't long before the humans realised that the bodies that were lying on the ground were yoma, screams were withheld and Chloey looked each human in the eye. Not a single person was able to meet the small warrior's gaze. They were all afraid and Chloey then turned her attention to a middle aged man that had come before them with a large bag filled with money, it looked quite heavy and Chloey felt a small stab in her heart, just how many families were going to go hungry just so that the village wouldn't be destroyed by a large group of yoma.

"Th-thank you for killing the yoma we have your fee…"

Beads of sweat ran down the sides of his face as he spoke, Chloey felt sorry for him, but she didn't show it. It wasn't her place to show any sympathy and the warriors were trained not to care about the humans. Still it went against the moral code that her father had taught her and Chloey trusted her father's judgement more so than that Organization's.

"Keep it. A man in black will collect it. Give it him." She said as she flicked her sword, blood splattering on to the ground as she did this. It was as she was trained, the uncaring face she had to pull annoyed her, but she would have to live with the fact that that was what the Organization wanted and not Chloey herself. She turned to see that Mary had left, the warrior clearly having had enough of Chloey and wanting nothing more than to flee and see if Chloey's words were as true as Chloey herself had said them to be. _It was always a shock to find out that those classmates you knew as friends were gone forever until you died and joined them in the world of the dead and gone_ Chloey thought to herself, _it's a truly horrible experience, one that I shouldn't have been so flippant about earlier, poor Mary_.

Meg and Claire both waited patiently for Chloey and the small warrior paused, but came over to them. It was amazing just how small Chloey really was when seen up alongside these two titan sized warriors. Chloey wondered what the world was like from the vantage point of these two and was going to ask them about it and thought better of it. Instead she said, "You can leave if you want to; you don't have to stay with me."

Meg spoke up "No, we'd like to stay, if that's ok with you."

"Knock yourselves out." She replied. Claire blinked; clearly, she didn't get the joke, "I don't mind if you want to stay. I'm not good with humour I see."

"Oh," Said Claire. Then she smiled. Chloey's mouth tried to smile back, but it had been so long that she was sure it looked more like a grimace then a smile. It didn't seem to bother Meg and Claire. Chloey decided that at least tonight, she wouldn't be alone. It comforted her more than what thought it would. She led them out of the town, to find a nice place to sit and rest before the next day came and she would have to say goodbye to a pair of comrades that had become what Chloey would consider friends.


End file.
